Join us to practice your creative writing skills and re-claim your voice as we explore creative writing as a tool for self-expression. This two hour class, led by author Emily Gillespie, will include a brief introduction to memoir writing, creating safety containers for memoir writing and prompts to get you started in telling your story. Prompts will be given to help you recognize emotions and themes emerging in your life that you may wish to explore further. You will leave this session with a short-story, and brainstorming about further themes you may want to explore on your own time. All writing levels and voices welcome.

ASL and Closed Captions will be provided.

This workshop will be presented on Zoom

FREE for Kickstart Members (membership will be confirmed upon registration*)

$10 for the general public OR purchase a membership to access other workshops in 2021 for Free!

Register Here:
https://kickstartworkshops-tellingyourstory.eventbrite.hk

Geoff McMurchy (1955–2015), Kickstarts founding Artistic Director, was a pioneer in the local and international disability arts community. Anyone who knew him will tell you that he was an amazing Artist, and a trailblazer in the disability arts and culture community, who influenced a huge number of people.

Geoff’s dream was that disability art be considered on the same level as all art. “My interest is that the art that is presented should not be through the filter of ‘disability’; I would like it to be appreciated as art, and you don’t have to like it,” he once said.

For Immediate Release

Outsiders and Others 1st Anniversary Show!

Vancouver’s first gallery dedicated to Outsider Art celebrates its 1st anniversary!

March 5 – 28

In March of 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we signed on the dotted line. We became real so we could bring art and culture to our community when no one else was. While everyone was shutting down, we were opening up.

As a window-based gallery, we could “open our doors” without actually opening them. In one of the strangest years of our lives, we were able to present a new exhibition in our gallery every month. We intend to do the same for years to come.

Hi there,

I’m excited to share with you that MaRS and CIBC have officially launched the Inclusive Design Challenge, a multi-year competition seeking solutions to employment barriers identified from the disability community. The first challenge in the series seeks the input of persons with disabilities and allies in the identification of barriers they experience, which will directly inform our series of competitions seeking solutions. This challenge is designed to bring significant barriers to light and help millions of Canadians achieve and sustain meaningful employment, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond this impact, we are offering 20 prizes of $250 for Challenge participants. Deadline to submit ideas is March 4, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT.

Arts Worker Income Tax with Jen Braem.

Mar 9, 7:30pm.

• Via Zoom, Registration required (free).

• Real-time captioning (CART) provided.

Arts Worker Income Tax – Learn how to navigate your self employed income with Jen Braem

The Digital Stage: Janet Munsil & the Canadian Play Thing.

Mar 2, 7:30pm.

• Talks will stream on Facebook Live.

• Real-time captioning (CART) and ASL interpretation provided.

The digital stage: Janet Munsil & The Canadian Play Thing

Link to transcript:  http://bit.ly/3dP7yU2

The Accessible BC Act Update

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_mEGcMXLyrM

0.00

Behind me, the wall is dark grey. The sofa behind me is silver/grey. The picture to my right is a black and white painting of tall buildings. My shirt is long-sleeved, the top two buttons are unbuttoned and open. The shirt is dark purple with tiny pink polka dots all over. I am sitting on a black office chair that swivels. 

We would like to acknowledge the shared, unceded traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and other Coast Salish Peoples on which we live, work, play and learn. [Forrest integrated some Indigenous Sign Languages in this acknowledgement]

My name is Forrest Smith and I am the President of GVAD. I have good news for those of you in B.C. It’s exciting, the Ministry of SDPR, Social Development and Poverty Reduction, informed us that they will be bringing forward legislation this spring, specifically The Accessible BC Act (ABCA). THIS spring, wow, exciting!

1.30

I want to explain the history, current plans, future plans, those timelines. Back in June 2019, a team started developing the accessibility law, a team led by Sam Turcott, a real neat team. They invited me to be part of the Advisory Committee on Accessibility, which I have been on since June 2019. 

POSTPONED

BC Accessibility Act Town Hall

Thursday, February 18 at 7pm

Friday, February 19 at 7pm.

More details coming soon.

Real Talk with Realize and DAWN-RAFH Canada
Virtual Townhall Series

Black Women with Disabilities in Canada: Going Forward, Guided By The Past

In commemoration of Black History Month

February 24th, 2021 from 1:00 – 2:00PM (Eastern Time)

Register Today!  

Panellists include:
Larissa Crawford, Future Ancestors Services
Laverne Jacobs PhD, University of Windsor
Sophia Sahrane, DAWN-RAFH Canada
Tammy C. Yates, Realize
Moderated by: Sarah Jama, Disability Justice Network of Ontario

All are welcome!!!

* Please identify your accessibility needs upon registration

Publication of the 2019 Pilot Public Opinion Research (POR) Survey on Accessibility

 Hello,

I’m pleased to share with you results from the 2019 Pilot Public Opinion Research (POR) Survey on Accessibility. The final report is now available on Library and Archives Canada’s POR Reports portal in HTML and PDF formats at the following link: https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/pwgsc-tpsgc/por-ef/employment_social_development_canada/2019/012-18-e/index.html.

Additional accessible formats are also available at the same link, including large print, digital braille, E-Text, and DAISY Type 4.

https://mailchi.mp/a67cb851c52a/february-2021-newsletter-fvrier-2021-bulletin-dinformation?e=5d2cbe46c8

Show your support and nominate a local small business for the Small Business BC Awards

https://press.smallbusinessbc.ca/show-your-support-and-nominate-a-local-small-business-for-the-small-business-bc-awards